Medical Assistant

Medical assistants are assigned clinical and administrative tasks at doctors’ offices, hospitals, and other medical clinics. The tasks of medical assistants are affected by organizational size, specialty, and location. At small clinics, medical assistants typically report directly to a doctor or clinic manager and are assigned various clinical and administrative tasks. Those at larger clinics usually specialize and work under the direction of department managers. Medical assistants do not have the same responsibilities as physician assistants.

Community colleges, vocational schools, and vocational-technical high schools offer medical assisting training programs. It typically takes a year to complete a program, after which graduates receive professional certificates. Students completing 2 year programs receive associate’s degrees. During training programs, students complete courses in physiology, anatomy, typing, accounting, medical transcription, insurance processing, and medical record maintenance. Students with certificates have demonstrated the ability to perform medical assistant duties, but it’s not necessary to hold a certificate to land an entry-level job. However, certified assistants typically earn more and have better job opportunities. Those interested in professional certificates can complete programs administered by the Association of Medical Technologists (AMT) and American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). Each organization has different certification requirements. Medical assistants can also complete specialized certification programs in ophthalmology, optometry, or podiatry.

Job Outlook

Job growth is expected to be better than average, ranking these jobs among the quickest growing professions through 2018. Employment opportunities should be good, especially for individuals with experience, certificates, and job training. Job growth for medical assistants is projected to increase by 34 percent until 2018, much better than average projected growth in other industries. As demand for healthcare increases because of aging populations and improvements in technology, more healthcare professionals will be needed throughout the industry.